TOKYO (AFP) - Japans Emperor Akihito and members of the royal family greeted thousands of well-wishers at the Imperial Palace as they celebrated his 74th birthday on Sunday.
"I thank you for coming to wish my birthday on this cold, rainy day," he said from the palaces glass-covered balcony as people waived flags in the drizzle.
"I hope the new year will be a bright and happy one for you," he said.
Crown Princess Masako, wearing a black suit and a hat, waived back to the more than 11,000-strong crowd alongside her husband Crown Prince Naruhito.
The royal family appeared three times to greet the well-wishers in the morning, the palace said. Princess Kiko, the wife of Naruhitos brother Akishino, did not take part due to illness.
Emperor Akihito took the throne in 1989, succeeding his father the late Emperor Hirohito.
The emperor held a press briefing Thursday ahead of his birthday, during which he criticised media reports for misinterpreting his comments about the crown prince and princess.
During the briefing, Akihito recalled media reports saying he had criticised a private trip to The Netherlands by Naruhito and Masako, who suffers from stress.
The reports claimed he said he had never made such a trip himself as prince.
"That was not what I intended to say at all," the emperor said. "I cannot get rid of concerns that what I say might be interpreted in a different way."
He refused to provide much of an answer during the briefing to questions about the royal family.
"I want to refrain from saying more to answer the question," he said.
Masako, a Harvard-educated former career woman, has struggled to adapt to the worlds oldest monarchy and avoided most public events since December 2003.
As part of Masakos treatment, she and her family went in August last year on a holiday to The Netherlands, the first time a Japanese royal has gone overseas for recuperation.
